Plans for a new takeaway in South Shields rejected over obesity level concerns

South Tyneside Council’s planning department received the application last year for 79-81 Fowler Street in the Beacon and Bents ward.

The business unit was most recently occupied by Greendaze Hydroponics but has since been left vacant for some time.

The plans, submitted by Anthony Lang, looked to convert the building into a hot food takeaway and install ventilation and extraction equipment linked to this use.

The application went before the latest meeting of the council’s planning committee for a decision, where it was refused by councillors by eight votes to one, in line with recommendations from officers.

Council planners had ruled using the property as a hot food takeaway would be contrary to their policies due to the harmful impact it would have on “health and wellbeing, tackling unhealthy lifestyles and obesity”.

They cited a specific clause which is part of a council supplementary planning document which states permission “will not be granted” for hot food takeaways in areas where the levels of obesity in Year 6 pupils, children aged 10 and 11, is over 10 per cent.

The most up-to-date data from the National Child Measurement Programme (2022/2023) for the Beacon and Bents ward shows that 28.4 per cent of Year 6 children in the area are very overweight/obese.

The proposals went before the committee after a request from councillor David Francis, Beacon and Bents ward member, who noted the application had potential to bring investment and employment to the town centre.

A representative on behalf of the applicant, speaking at the meeting, said there are already “22 hot food takeaways in the nearby vicinity” of the site and argued education is key to encouraging healthy eating and tackling obesity.

He added: “Limiting the operation, it’s almost like trying to blame a new car for speeding, or blame the roads for speeding because the road is wide.

“What we’ve got here is an application that can open up a long-closed vacant unit, create some employment, not large amounts, but it’s a benefit, create economic activity, the shop would be open, there’d be more policing.

“There would be more local jobs, more money back in the area and that is all a good thing.”

Council planning officers responded by noting they have taken a consistent approach to refusing applications for hot food takeaways where the sites are not appropriate since adopting their policy on the issue.

Following questions from councillors, officers also outlined how they cannot put measures in place to control or restrict a hot food takeaway to allow them to operate and only sell healthier foods.

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Councillor Sarah McKeown, Beacon and Bents ward member sitting on the planning committee, said: “It is a difficult one, I think some interesting points have been made.

“Obesity is obviously a much wider issue than just the number of fast food outlets, fast food outlets are not necessarily helpful on the whole, but it is about education.”

The council’s public health team had objected to the proposals, arguing it did not “enable and support healthy lifestyles” and South Tyneside has “higher levels of obesity and a higher density of fast food outlets”.

They added data from Public Health England (2018) showed there were 96.1 fast food outlets per 100,000 population in England, but for South Tyneside, the figure was 111.9 per 100,000 population. 

Those behind the development said it would have created six full-time jobs and four part-time roles.

The planning application in support of the proposals added: “The regeneration and re-opening of this forlorn site would net benefit the locality in so many outweighing ways and provide activity and informal policing of a troubled area.”